Kagome's Path
by inugoddess123
Summary: Kagome gets sent to another realm by a dark miko, and has to find her way to the castle in the middle of the labyrinth, in order to go back home. Along the way, she makes friends, and a possible love interest, that make the journey easier. The only question is, will she want to leave once they get there? A Labyrinth twist on Inuyasha.
1. A New Realm

Disclaimer: Didn't own them then, don't own them now

It all started when Kagome, a young teenage girl, realized her worst nightmare was about to come true...

She had just gotten home from school, so she was still in her uniform, which consisted of a white long sleeved shirt, a red scarf,and a green pleated skirt that reached mid thigh. She also wore knee-length white socks, and brown loafers. She stood at 5'4, had waist-length wavy, blue-black hair, pale skin, and brown eyes.

She had been sitting on the floor in her room, playing with her beloved baby brother when suddenly, her window was blown open. Strong winds blew around her so bad that she had to shut her eyes. As soon as the winds calmed down enough, she opened her eyes, and saw a woman wearing black miko garb with a soul collector floating around her body.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked hesitantly. Then she saw it. This strange woman had her little brother in her arms. "Sota!" she yelled, "Give me back my brother!"

"I am Kikyo. If you want your brother back, you must reach the castle at the center of the Labyrinth, by the time this clock strikes 13." The woman, now known as Kikyo, said as an old looking grandfather clock appeared. The clock showed it to be one o'clock. "Should you fail, your brother, as well as your soul, are mine." Suddenly, Kagome found herself on top of a hill, looking out at a massive labyrinth.

As Kagome looks on in awe, she notices something just outside the labyrinth. A close look showed a man, tired and looking worse for wear, fighting a hoard of what looked to be guards. Kagome rushed down to help. Infusing her reiki into her arms and legs, she sped down the hill pushing through the guards to make a path so she could get to the obviously outnumbered man.

Now standing back to back with the man, she pushed even more reiki into her hands. She alternated between fighting hand to hand, and lunging forward to touch a guard anywhere she could. Every time her reiki charged hands touched a guard, they instantly became dust.

' _Those martial arts lessons sure come in handy'_. She thought as she successfully knocked another guard onto his back, before purifying him.

She could hear the man behind her grunting in pain. She chanced a look behind her, and saw that he liked about ready to collapse. She knew that she would have to end it soon, otherwise he might not make it out of this fight conscious.

Thinking quickly, she yelled "Duck!" As soon as she felt him do so, she turned her reiki into a whip, like her mother had taught her, and spun around in a circle, killing all of the remaining guards.

After a second, she turned to look at the man that she had helped. Now that she got a good look at him, she noted his strange, yet attractive appearance. He had long grayish silver hair, pulled up in a topknot. He wore white hakamas, a red and blue obi and a blue and white haori. On top of his clothes, he wore a full regalia of armor. On each shoulder were big shoulder spikes. He wore gauntlets that covered from his elbow to his knuckles. His breastplate was silver at the top with two slightly curved spikes in front of it. In between the spikes, was a diamond shaped ruby. He was laying on his back, with his knees bent upwards, panting as he tried to regain his breath. Without thinking, she closed the two foot gap between them and kneeled by his side.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Yes, thanks to you. I greatly appreciate your help." He said, having finally caught his breath. Kagome had to suppress a shiver at his erotically deep voice.

"It was no trouble at all. My name is Kagome, by the way. Kagome Higurashi." She said, smiling at him.

He smiled back as he sat up, facing her. "Nice to meet you, Kagome. I am known as the Inu no Taisho, King of this realm but you may call me Mattaki. Tell me, where did you learn to fight like that?"

Kagome blushed. "My mother is a Warrior Miko. She has been training me since I was a little girl."

"Ah, well then she must be a great teacher, because you are an amazing fighter. Never before have I seen a Miko as young as you fight so well." He said. He grinned as her blush deepened at the compliment.

"Thank you, my lord. She would be proud to hear that." Kagome said, looking away as she tried to make her blush disappear. She couldn't think of any other way to respond. It's not every day that you are complimented by a king, after all.

"Now, now, none of that 'My Lord' stuff. Please, you just saved my life. Call me Mattaki." He said, waving his hand in the air dismissively.

"So, why were you being attacked?" Kagome asked

"A dark miko has taken my powers as well as my kingdom. She was trying to get rid of me by sending those guards to kill me."

"I can help you get your powers back. I have to make it to the castle anyway to get my baby brother back." Kagome explained.

"Oh? How did your brother get here? And no offense, but how do you plan on helping me?" He asked, raising his eyebrow.

"The dark miko stole him. And as for helping you, you're obviously worn out from that fight that I just saved you from or have you forgotten?" Kagome said with a smug look on her face at the last part.

"No, not at all. I didn't mean to upset you. I just meant, what is your plan to help me get my powers _and_ my throne back from the evil bitch who has them both." He said, holding his hands up in a placating manner.

"We get to the castle and kick her ass. She can't take us both on at once." Kagome said with a smirk.

"That may be true, my dear, but you forget her minions and guards. Kikyo plays dirty. She will do whatever is necessary in order to get what she wants, and she cares not for who is hurt or killed, in the process." Mattaki countered.

"She might play dirty, but this is _your_ kingdom. You obviously know it better than her. Use that to your advantage. Besides, we've already established that we're good fighters." Kagome stated.

"Very well." He conceded, "It's not like I could take her on, by myself, considering how powerless I am at the moment."

"All right. First things first, how do we get into the labyrinth?" Kagome asked.

"Why, through the gate, of course." He smirked.

He stood up and helped Kagome to her feet, before walking over to the gate. Standing in front of it, he reached up and placed a hand on the ivy covered, wrought-iron gate, which looked to weigh at minimum, a couple thousand pounds. Kagome gaped as the gate then proceeded to swing open as if it was as light as a feather, without so much as a creaking noise.

Without another word, Kagome and Mattaki walked through the gate. As soon as they were in, the gate swung closed with a loud bang, closing them off from the outside world.


	2. A New Companion

Still don't own it!

* * *

Now inside the labyrinth, they looked around and noticed that the gate disappeared.

"Well, there's no turning around now. We should probably stay together." Kagome said

"I agree. Unfortunately, the labyrinth is always changing. Therefore, not even I know the way through. It does this so that no one can break the rules of the Labyrinth, by gaining help from its' occupants." Mattaki stated.

Kagome became confused. "Rules, what rules? I was never told anything about any rules."

Mattaki sighed. "There aren't many, but the rules are that one, the runner of the labyrinth is not allowed to have help with any of the challenges throughout the labyrinth. Two, the runner cannot go _over_ the labyrinth. Three, the runner _must_ make it to the castle in the center of the labyrinth in the allotted time of a minimum thirteen hours. Finally, rule number four states that if the runner breaks any of the rules, the penalty will be decided by the current ruler of the Realm."

"Would that be you or Kikyo, since she took your powers?" Kagome asked.

"It would be me, but because she stole my powers, I'm unable to carry out the penalty." Mattaki answered.

"Oh. okay." Kagome responded.

"However, there are some things in the labyrinth that stay the same. Luckily for us, i know what they are. The gate for example, is always there, since there's not much that can be done to change it." Mattaki said as they started on the path.

After walking for an hour, with nothing but a straight path in sight, they finally stopped for a short rest. Suddenly, Kagome saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and turned her head towards it. With a gasp, she jerked away from the wall.

Standing on a small rock hear where she had been sitting, was a little, tiny, creature that looked like a man, with a beak. It was the size of a pea.

"Hello there, dear. Do you need any help?" Came a squeaky voice.

Kagome shook off her shock enough to respond. "Yes, actually, if you don't mind. Mattaki and I are looking for a way into the labyrinth, can you help us?"

At Mattaki's name, the creature jumped and looked around, before seeing said man.

"Milord, I didn't see you there. I sincerely apologise. "He said, bowing repeatedly.

"It is alright, Myoga, just answer Kagome's question and all will be forgiven, my friend." Mattaki chuckled.

"Oh! Of course, milord. I'm sorry miss, but I have no clue. With the Labyrinth ever-changing, no one knows, I'm afraid."

At this, Kagome's sighed, disappointed. Mattaki became frustrated and turned around, swinging at the stone wall, only to fall on his face, when his hand seemingly went through its target.

Kagome jumped up and ran over to him. "Are you okay?" She asked, kneeling down by his side.

"I'm fine. Nothing is hurt but my ego." He said sitting up. He briefly rubbed his head, which was pounding from where it had hit the ground.

Kagome gasped as she looked around. Mattaki turned toward her when he heard it.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" He asked.

"Mattaki, I think we just found our way in." She said quietly, while looking forward.

Following her gaze, Mattaki saw that there was, indeed, another path. He sighed with relief. Standing, he helped Kagome up. "Well, let's get going."

Kagome nodded, smiling up at him. As she began to walk after Mattaki she paused and turned back to Myoga. "Thank you for your help." She said, bowing briefly.

She then turned, following behind Mattaki, who had taken off down the left side of the path.

As they left, Myoga spoke to himself. "It's a good thing they didn't go the other way. They would have went straight to the castle, where that dark miko has taken over." He shook his head and walked back into his small rock-house.

* * *

An hour of twists and turns later, the two unlikely companions came upon a large, wrought-iron gate. Just as Mattaki reached out to push it open, a loud growl erupted from the other side. Kagome and Mattaki looked at each other in surprise and worry.

Suddenly, Mattaki grabbed Kagome and leaped away as a large silver wolf, with-

"Are those dragon wings?" Kagome whispered incredulously. Mattaki, who still held her to his chest, heard her, and chuckled.

"Indeed, my dear. You are looking at a Raiju. They are a rare breed. They are essentially hybrids, made from Thunder dragons and demon wolves. Though, this one is even more rare." He said.

"How so?" Kagome asked, turning away from the Raiju to look Mattaki in the eyes.

As soon as she did, she sucked in a silent breath. She hadn't realized just how close the two of them were, until that moment. Slowly, she began to unconsciously lean forward, as she felt herself get lost in his gaze.

Looking closely, Kagome noticed that there were tiny amber flecks surrounded by the molten gold. She felt as if she could spend an eternity just staring into his soulful orbs.

She was jerked back to her senses when she heard him answer her.

"Well my dear, most Raiju are white, with blue wings, and markings- though the shades of blue, and the shapes of the markings vary-, where as this particular Raiju, as you can see, is silver, has black wings, and looks to have no markings what-so-ever. What's more intriguing, is that this one has heterochromic eyes. One is blue, and one is gold. Most Raiju have violet eyes."

"I see. That's very interesting and all, Mattaki, but how is that going to help us get past the Raiju, and through that gate?" She asked, trying to force her mind to focus on the task at hand, rather than the handsome male that had yet to release her from her current position of being held to his chest.

She looked back over to the Raiju, which was snarling at them from it's position in front of the gate. Though it made no move towards them, Kagome instinctively knew that if they were to approach, the creature would surely attack.

Mattaki sighed. "No clue. Raiju are normally very friendly creatures, unless they are protecting their pack. Since I don't smell or sense any other creatures nearby, there should be no reason for this one to be acting so aggressive over nothing more than a gate."

Kagome gently pushed against Mattaki's chest, letting him know that she wanted him to release her. After he did so, she shook off the sudden chill she got from the loss of his body heat, and slowly started walking towards the Raiju.

When she was twenty feet away, the hybrid crouched down, and growled in warning. Stopping her approach, Kagome started observing it. After a moment of doing so, she noticed something was off about the Raiju's body language. Though it was poised to attack she could almost feel it fighting itself.

Slowly, so as not to startle the enraged creature, thus causing it to lash out, she allowed her miko energy to reach out towards it. In doing so, she noticed black widow of energy swirling around the Raiju. She immediately recognised it as dark miko energy. Knowing this, she realized that Kikyo must somehow be controlling the poor animal/demon.

She began purifying the taint surrounding the Raiju. As she did this, she noticed that the Raiju was beginning to calm down. Soon, all of the taint was removed, and now, instead of growls, a loud purring filled the area.

Mattaki tensed as he saw the creature approaching Kagome, but he relaxed, when it merely rubbed it's head against her chest. He smiled as he heard her soft giggle, though it was barely audible due to the loudness of the Raiju's loud purrs.

Suddenly, the Raiju backed away from Kagome and bowed its' head to her, as it gave a series of growls and barks. A confused miko turned to Mattaki as she heard him gasp.

"What? What just happened?" She asked, becoming slightly alarmed at the wide-eyed stare she currently was receiving from her traveling companion. Mattaki seemed to shake himself from his shock, before grinning towards her.

"He said 'Thank you for saving me from that evil witch's grasp. I pledge my loyalty to you in gratitude. I am now yours to command, and will protect you with my life. From this day forward, I wish to become your soul-bonded companion." He told her.

Kagome was shocked, but she knew enough about demons, from her parent's teachings, to know that even though she did not want such a vow to be promised to her, to reject it would be a grave insult towards the demon who pledged such to you.

It would be like she was saying the Raiju wasn't strong enough to uphold his word. Even worse, for a companion-creature like the Raiju seemed to be, if she rejected his wish to become her soul-bound companion, it would mean that in some way, she found him unworthy of having such a bond. For a creature that thrived off of the bonds of family, of pack, it would be a devastating blow.

"I would like nothing more." She said, smiling to the Raiju, as she returned his bow. Straightening from her bow, Kagome turned to Mattaki.

"I know how the bond is formed, but I don't have anything sharp enough to cut. Would you do the honors?" She asked him. Smiling, he nodded and walked over to them.

Standing beside the two, Mattaki silently made a shallow cut above Kagome's brow, right where her third eye Chakra would be. Turning, he quickly repeated the action on the Raiju. Immediately afterwards, Kagome and the Raiju placed their wounds together, allowing their blood to mix. As they did this, they both allowed their aura's to meld together.

After a few seconds, they pulled apart, and Mattaki was surprised to see four pink teardrops, in the shape of a cross, appear on their foreheads.

At hearing Mattaki's gasp, Kagome opened her eyes, which she had closed as she let her aura free. She smiled widely when she saw her mother's symbol on her new companion's forehead.

' _It looks beautiful.'_ She thought, as she reached up to gently rub her fingers across the mark.

' _Indeed it does, my Lady.'_ Kagome heard the voice in her head just as the Raiju reached up and licked the same spot on her own forehead.

' _You mean, I have one too?'_ She asked, somehow knowing that it was his voice she heard, though she hadn't known that the soul-bonding ritual would create a telepathic bond, like the two of them now seemed to have.

' _Of course. A soul-bonded pair always share the same markings. As you are now aware of, we are also telepathically linked. Did you not know, my Lady?_ _'_ He responded.

Kagome shook her head. _'No. My mother explained what a soul-bonding meant, as well as the ritual. However, demons are rare in my realm. Especially demons such as you, who can become soul-bound to another creature in ways other than mating. Because of this, she never saw the need to fully explain what happened after the ritual occurred.'_

' _I_ _see. Well, other than what I have already told you, the only other change, is the fact that since you are now my master, you must name me.'_ He informed her.

At this, Kagome nodded. She was suddenly mortified to realise that she had just soul-bonded to this Raiju, without even introducing herself first.

' _I am so sorry! I just realised I never told you my name. It's Kagome Higurashi. But please, don't call me your Lady, or your master. We are friends and equals. Just call me Kagome. Also, what do you think of the name Fang?'_ She asked.

Cocking his head to the side, her new companion responded. ' _Fang… I like it. Thank you, Kagome.'_

Kagome just smiled, before reaching up and petting Fang's head lovingly. Turning to Mattaki, who was standing to the side, politely giving the two newly bonded friends some time to themselves.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked him, grinning in happiness.

Nodding, Mattaki returned her smile. "Of course. After you, my dear."

Kagome giggled as he gave a mock bow, and swept his hand out in front of him. As she walked towards the gate, she was surprised when Fang was suddenly encased in a whirlwind of leaves. When the leaves disappeared, a smaller, puppy version of Fang stood and leapt onto Kagome's shoulder. Kagome smiled wider as she felt one of his small wings wrap around the back of her neck in order to keep him from falling.

Then, with a mighty push from the Demon King, the newly formed trio went through the now open gateway, and continued on their journey towards the castle in the center of the Labyrinth.

* * *

MSP A/N- I just wanted to clarify, in case anyone is confused. A soul-bond such as what Kagome and Fang now have is VERY different from a mating bond. While both bond creations call for the melding of souls, a MATING bond binds two people mind, body, heart, and soul. It is the deepest, and most intimate type of bond you can ever have with another person.

Where as JUST a soul bond, like what Kagome and Fang have, ONLY binds their souls together. While it is EXTREMELY intimate, it is still very mild in comparison to a mating bond.

P.s. I hope this cleared up any confusion you might have had on the subject, but if it didn't, then please feel free to PM me, and I will answer any and all questions you have, in order to clear up any lingering confusion.

 **Shout-outs to our reviewers:**

Alannada: Keep reading to find out. Enjoy the movie.

machtgut: Glad you like it.

lady sesshomaru sama 949: If you love that, wait until it gets really funny.


	3. Two Doors and a Hentai

Disclaimer: Not ours!

Kagome, Fang, and Mattaki had been walking for less than half an hour, when they rounded a corner and came upon a very peculiar sight. Out of nowhere a wall with two large doors appeared. However, the strange thing, was that in front of each door was a creature…with two heads. Each head was poking out from behind opposite sides of the body-length shields that covered their bodies.

As the creatures noticed the approaching group, they started whispering amongst themselves.

"Halt! Who goes there?" Came a voice from the left of the doors.

As Kagome, Mattaki, and Fang turned towards the voice. Standing in front of them was a man in black slack-like pants, a purple t-shirt, and a black vest, which was open. On his feet were a pair of heeled boots. He had violet purple eyes, and black hair, which was pulled into a small, low ponytail. He also wore small hoop earrings on his pointed ears.

"Kagome. Mattaki, and Fang. We need to get through the labyrinth." Kagome answered hesitantly.

"Well the, Mattaki, Kagome, and Fang, you have two choices. You must either answer a riddle… BUT!" He held up a finger, "I will warn you now, answer it incorrectly, and I will suck you all up into my wind tunnel." Here, he showed them his right hand, in which they could feel a strong aura, that they could tell was held at bay by the purple and black prayer beads he had wrapped around his arm. "OR, you can turn around and go home. Your choice." The man crossed his arms and smirked.

"We can't turn back. My brother is in danger." Kagome argued.

"I agree. What is your riddle?" Mattaki asked.

The man's smirk widened, and his eyes flashed blue. Kagome was startled to see the brief color change, but she didn't get the chance to comment, before he started speaking again.

"Alright then. Here before you are two doors, guarded by my friends Ginta and Hakkaku, and Ayame and Koga. You must pick a door to go through. One lead further into the labyrinth, and one leads to your deaths." He raised his right hand again for a brief second. Once he was sure they understood what he was implying, he continued. "You can ask only one person, one question. I will tell you, however, one of them always tells the truth, and one of them always lies. Choose wisely, my friends." He stepped back, seeming to wait for them.

Looking towards Mattaki, Kagome handed Fang to him, before slowly walked up to the door on the left, as a guy with a blond Mohawk raised his head from behind the top of the shield, and a guy with short grey hair with a black patch raised his head from the bottom of the shield. Beside him, a red headed woman stuck her head out from behind the top of the other shield, as a guy with long black hair poked his head out from under the shield.

"Hakkaku and Ginta, and….Ayame and Koga?" She guessed timidly, pointing to each as she said their names. She smiled when he nodded.

"Okay….Hakkaku, if you are the one that lies, would Ayame tell me that…THIS door leads to the rest of the labyrinth?" She asked, pointing to the door behind him.

"Um…Yes." He answered, though he seemed uncertain.

"Then the answer would be no." She said matter-of-factly.

"But what if I'm telling the truth?" He asked.

"Then the answer would still be no. Therefore, this is the right door." She said, smirking and pointing towards the door behind Ayame.

Suddenly, a slow clapping sound entered the area. Turning towards it, Kagome saw the guy in purple clapping in a mocking manner. Once again, she was startled to see his eyes flash blue again.

"Very well done, my dear. You managed to solve the riddle. However, I wasn't very forthcoming. You still can't go through the door just yet."

"Why not? She beat your riddle, just like you said, you lying rat." Mattaki spoke up, angered by the sudden turn of events. Kagome walked back over to where he and Fang were standing.

"Ah, but before you can enter through that door, you will have to go through me." The man said.

"Very well then," Mattaki said, cracking his knuckles as he moved into a defensive position. " Before we get started, might I ask the name of my soon to be defeated enemy?"

"You sure are a cocky Son of a Bitch, aren't you." The guy said, raising his eyebrow. He sighed dramatically. "Very well then. I guess I can grant you this last dying wish. My name is Miroku."

The man, Miroku, lunged towards Mattaki, who dodged skillfully, before rushing forward and swinging a fist towards Miroku's head. Miroku dodged as well, though he moved just in the knick of time.

The two kept exchanging blows. Mattaki, being weaker than usual since having his powers stolen- though still more than a match for Miroku- wasn't doing too well. He had a few more scrapes and bruises than Miroku. When Miroku jumped out of the way to dodged another attack, he landed right behind Kagome.

Being the perverted bastard he was, he went to grope Kagome's ass. Suddenly, Kagome swung around and faster than a snake, slapped Miroku across the face, knocking him on his ass. He landed, dazed, several feet away, wearing a deep red handprint on his face. When he was finally able to once again think clearly, he was confused as to what just happened.

Kagome, however, was fuming. ' _I can't believe the_ nerve _of this guy! First, he lies to us, attacks Mattaki, and_ then _he has the_ audacity _to grab my ass! Ooh, I'm gonna rip him a new one.'_ She thought, as she began stomping her way towards the fallen man.

When a shadow fell over Miroku, he looked up, and saw Kagome standing over him, with a look that promised murder.

"Try that again you bastard and I'll kick you where the sun don't shine and make you a girl while I'm at it." Kagome threatened, fuming with anger at the man's less than moral actions. "And I may also let my good friend Fang have a shot at you. You'd make a good chew toy." she added, with a smirk on her face and an evil glint in her eye.

The Raiju looked ready to pounce on him at any moment. Licking his lips, Fang looked like the cat that was about to eat his canary.

Mattaki, who until now had been silently nursing his minor, yet painful wounds, heard what Kagome had said, and jumped to his feet while letting out a vicious snarl.

"You _dare_ touch a woman like that without her permission! Let alone a woman under _my_ protection. _Especially_ after the no good tricks you just pulled! I should gut you here and now." He growled, his eyes rimmed red.

"Mi-Milord! I must apologize. I don't know what I was doing, I swear! It's like I had no control over what I was doing. Please, spare me, Your Highness." Miroku's begged, moving onto his knees and bowing so low that his forehead touched the ground.

Mattaki scoffed, cracking his knuckles. "Spare you, HA! Give me one good reason, and I'll _think_ about not chopping off your nibbly-bits for touching someone under my protection, as callously as you did."

Miroku went pale, and opened his mouth to speak.

"He was possessed." Kagome interjected.

Mattaki turned to her. "What do you mean?"

She explained to him about seeing the momentary eye-color changes throughout their interactions with Miroku. Nodding, Mattaki agreed that she was most likely correct with her assumption.

"So….. What now?" Miroku's asked awkwardly.

"Well. Mattaki, Fang, and I, are going through the door to continue on into the labyrinth, so we can get to the castle and defeat the Dark Miko, Kikyo. What _you_ do, is up to you." Kagome responded, walking towards the doors. Fang jumped back onto her shoulder, and Mattaki trailed behind her.

Scrambling onto his feet, Miroku's called out to them. "Wait! Please, may I go with you?" He asked. Kagome paused and raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

Seeing this look, he continued. "Kikyo is the one who placed the curse of the wind tunnel on me. If she is not killed, the tunnel will eventually grow larger and consume me. Please, allow me to help bring about her destruction."

Kagome looked towards Mattaki, who sighed and nodded. "Alright, you can come with us. But remember my warning. If you so much as _look_ at my ass again, you will go from Miroku to Mika, in two-point-five seconds, got it?" She warned.

Miroku nodded quickly, as he gulped in fear.

Without any more to say on the matter, the once again expanded group walked through the correct door. As soon as they were standing on the other side of the doorway, the ground fell out from under them, causing them to fall.

Landing on a heap on the ground, Kagome somehow ended up sandwiched in between the two male demons with her. She suddenly let out a yelp when, once again, she felt a hand on her ass.

"Miroku, what did I _just_ say?!" She yelled.

"I sincerely apologize, Kagome. I did not realize exactly where my hand had landed on your person." Mattaki said, surprising Kagome, who was so surprised that she could only blush.

After a second, the weight of Miroku lifted off of her, and she in turn slid off of Mattaki. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Kagome jumped as she was unexpectedly interrupted.

"Wh- who's there?" Came a scared-sounding voice from the dark part of the room they found themselves in.

* * *

Shout-outs to our reviewers:

lady sesshomaru sama 949: So glad you love it


	4. The Oubliette and The Fox Kit

*We don't own anything*

 **-Last time-**

 _After a second, the weight of Miroku lifted off of her, and she in turn slid off of Mattaki. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Kagome jumped as she was unexpectedly interrupted._

" _Wh- who's there?" Came a scared-sounding voice from the dark part of the room they found themselves in._

 **-Now-**

Kagome turned towards the voice.

"I-I'm Kagome, and these are my friends Mattaki, Fang, and Miroku. Who are you?" She remained calm, as to not scare the other occupant in the room any worse than they already seemed to be. She could tell from their aura that they were downright terrified at the moment. They were also demon, but she couldn't tell which kind.

"And where are we?" Mattaki added.

There was a sniffle, and then the three adults and Raiju watched as a little boy stepped into the light, which was created by the whole they had fallen through. He looked to be four or five years old, and had limp, and dirty orange hair, which was only partially held in a small ponytail with a dusty blue bow. He also had emerald green eyes, which looked dull with sorrow. His clothes and skin were filthy. It looked like he has been down there for a long time. He was covered in scrapes and bruises and shaking like a leaf in a tornado.

"My name is Shippo. You're in the Oubliette. Now you're stuck here forever, like me." He said, looking down at the floor as he twisted his hands nervously.

"What do you mean forever? How did you get down here?" Kagome asked, becoming nervous herself. Fang tried to reassure her by nuzzling his head against her arm, to which she responded by petting him in thanks.

"There's no way to get out. I've tried everything I could think of, and nothing works." He said. After a moment, he shuffled and answered her second question.

"I was thrown down here by a Dark Miko, after she killed my father." Tears began to slide down Kagome's face. Immediately, she knew which Dark Miko Shippo had seen.

"Why would she do that, little one?" Mattaki asked, as he rubbed comforting circles on Kagome's back, knowing she was upset as well. Fang reached up and licked the tears from his mistress' face, though she didn't seem to notice in her turmoil.

Shippo sniffled, and wiped away his tears before explaining.

"Papa and me were playing in a field, and suddenly, the Dark Miko showed up, and told Papa she wanted us to join her army. When he said no, she killed him and took me with her. I didn't want to go with her, so I bit her. She beat me, and threw me in here. She said I wasn't allowed out until I could show her the proper respect that she deserved as Queen of the Demon Realm. That one day I would be in her army, so my spirit needed to be broken, because she wouldn't have an army full of disobedient brats like me. That was three days ago."

Kagome was so upset that it took all she had, to hold in her powers. She was pissed off and disgusted at Kikyo for what she had done to this child and his father. She was also saddened by what the boy had been through. No child should suffer as much as he had, and she silently vowed that she would do her best make sure nothing else happened to him.

"That's terrible. The Dark Miko has my little brother, Mattaki's powers, and cursed Miroku with the wind tunnel, which is a hole in his hand that sucks everything up in it when it's unleashed." She explained. "That's why we're trying to get to the castle. How would you like to come with us?." Kagome asked in a sad tone.

"Really? You'd let me come with you? Will you let me help me defeat her?" Shippo asked with wide, hopeful eyes and a smile.

"Of course, little one. I may not have my powers, but I do have my skills and strength. We will do everything we can to both keep you safem, AND allow you to help us." This time, it was Mattaki that spoke. "I give you my word as ruler of this kingdom." Mattaki promised.

By now, Shippo was crying tears of happiness. Now he felt like he finally had the chance to avenge his father. "Yay! Of course I want to go!" Shippo yelled as he jumped into Kagome's arms and wrapped his arms around her neck. He started sobbing as his emotions got the better of him. Kagome, in turn, wrapped her arms tighter around Shippo, telling him that everything would be alright. Fang also did his part to help calm the young demon down, by nuzzling into him.

After Shippo calmed down, Kagome turned to Mattaki. "Do you know how to get out of here?"

"Indeed. There are _some_ things that remain the same in the labyrinth, no matter what." Mattaki said in a matter of fact tone. He walked over to a wall, lifted what looked like an old wooden door and set it against the wall. What happened next came as a shock. Instead of opening the door, Mattaki kicked it with enough force to send it flying into the wall on the other side. Then he nonchalantly wiped his hands against each other, eyes closed from the dirt and debris that went flying everywhere.

"A little overkill, don't you think." Kagome said as she and Miroku stood, walking over to stand beside Mattaki. Fang now sat on Kagome's shoulder, while Shippo was still being cradled in her arms.

"What are you talking...oh shit!" Mattaki said. As soon as he opened his eyes, he understood what Kagome meant. The door was in splinters on the ground and there was a large door-shape indent on the wall where the door hit.

"As soon as that bitch is dead, I'm gonna need a new door here." He muttered to himself. Kagome sweat dropped.

Without another word, the five companions left the room and entered a long, dark, hallway.

* * *

Shout-outs to our reviewers:

lady sesshomaru sama 949: :)


	5. Out of the Frying Pan

We don't own…. You don't sue!

As they walked down the dark hallway, Kagome threw out her senses, making sure they wouldn't run into any new surprises. Then, suddenly, Kagome felt the aura of a person further down the corridor. She came to a halt, when she realized that the person was heading in the their direction.

The momentum from her sudden stop caused everyone to run into her. Luckily, Mattaki's quick reflexes saved her from eating dirt.

"Are you alright Kagome? Why did you stop like that?" Mattaki asked, once they had all righted themselves.

"Yes, a little warning would have been nice." Miroku's said, skillfully ignoring the glare Mattaki sent his way.

Kagome rolled her eyes at them. "Someone's coming. I can sense their aura, but just barely. Not enough to be able to tell who they are, or their intentions. Whoever it is, is blocking their aura." She told them.

At that, both men straightened, and moved to stand slightly in front of Kagome on either side, while Fang jumped down to stand in protectively in front of her, transforming into his larger size as he went. Shippo scurried up from Kagome's arms, to her back, where he proceeded to hide in her hair. He held tight to the back of her shirt, so he wouldn't be knocked away from her, if it came to a fight, but not so tight as to cause her any problems with breathing or mobility. Unconsciously, Kagome cloaked his aura and scent with her own, so that he would remain undetected.

The small group only had to wait mere moments, before the other presence made themselves known. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? A weak Miko hiding behind two demons and a pathetic little puppy. What a merry band of thieves you make, if I may say so." The person said.

Instantly, Kagome recognised the voice. "Kikyo." She sneered, not reacting when she felt Shippo's claws tighten on her shoulders, pricking her skin slightly. "What do you want?"

Kikyo cackled, ignoring the low growl that the three male demons were making. "You are making so much progress in such a short time, my dear. I thought to give you a reward for all of your hard work" She said, holding up what looked to be a softball sized crystal ball.

"And what would that be?" Mattaki asked, though he didn't stop growling.

"Ah, ah, it's rude to growl at someone who is trying to give you something, you know." Kikyo taunted.

Mattaki's growl only grew louder, to the point it drowned out the sounds that the other two males were making. Kikyo grinned maliciously.

"Have fun with my gift." She said as she turned around, throwing the crystal ball down the tunnel.

"Ta-ta!" She held up her hand and waggled her fingers. With an audible poof, she disappeared.

Everyone watched in morbid fascination as the crystal ball morphed into a large, spinning metal wheel, with what looked to be daggers sticking out of it. It started coming towards them at a fast pace.

" _Shit,"_ Mattaki cursed. "It's the cleaners!" He snatched Kagome up, holding her bridal style, and took of running with Miroku on his heels. Kagome barely registered Shippo climbing onto her stomach, where she wrapped her arms securely around him so he wouldn't go flying off due to how fast Mattaki was running. Fang caught up and ran beside Mattaki for a moment, before transforming back into his smaller form and leaping onto Mattaki's shoulder mid-stride.

"What?" Kagome asked, her mind was blank from panic, and that's the only thing she _could_ say at the moment. Her arms tightened around Shippo even more, when she felt him bury his face in her chest in fear.

"That bitch summoned the cleaners to get rid of us." He answered, sounding more calm than he felt.

"Thank you Captain Obvious. I gathered as much." She said sarcastically."I meant, what the _hell_ is the cleaners?"

"You see the spinny thing coming up behind us with blades poking out?" He asked.

"Yeah" She answered, looking over his shoulder, and past Miroku, at the aforementioned object.

" _That,_ is the cleaners." He flinched when Kagome smacked the back of his head.

"You're an ass, you know that?" She grumbled.

Before he could respond, Miroku beat him to it. "Now children, can't this wait till _after_ we escape the thing trying to kill us?"

Kagome huffed. "Just wait, Miroku, when we get away from that thing, I'm gonna smack you so hard, you'll have a permanent dent in your head the size of my hand." She threatened. "I am _not_ a child!"

Miroku sweat-dropped at the threat, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

Eventually, they came to a dead end. Thinking quickly, Mattaki kicked a giant hole in the wall next to them and they two men immediately ran through it, barely managing to escape the cleaners.

They once again landed in a heap, except for Fang, who had jumped off of Mattaki's shoulder last-minute, to escape from being squished again, and flipped down above Kagome's head. It was silent except for the distant scraping of the cleaners, and the panting of Mattaki, Fang, and Miroku.

"I-Is it over?" Shippo whimpered, his eyes clinched shut.

"Yes Shippo, it's over." Kagome said softly, stroking his hair in a soothing manner. She smiled at him when he opened his eyes and blinked up at her before smiling sweetly in return.

"Thank Gods for _that_." Miroku said in a breathless voice. If the situation hasn't been so serious, Kagome would have giggled.

"Aww, is the big bad demon boy tired?" She asked mockingly.

Miroku picked his head up off the ground to glare at her from his position at her right. "Shuddup. _You_ didn't just have to run for your life. You were being carried. Therefore, I don't want to hear it."

Kagome just cocked an eyebrow. "It's not like I _asked_ to be carried. Not my fault I can't run as fast as you two. I would have been left in the dust." She retorted.

Miroku just rolled his eyes and laid his head back down. "Whatever." He mumbled.

"I heard that!" Kagome snarled. She would have sat up and bopped him on the head if Mattaki hadn't interfered when he did. Sitting up from his spot on Kagome's left, he looked at them both before speaking.

"Miroku, stop provoking her. She's right, and you know it. Because she is human, she is physically incapable of reaching our speeds." Seeing Kagome stuck her tongue out at Miroku, he reached over and gently flicked her on the forehead. "And _you_ stop mocking him. I know he upset you, but _you_ started it in the first place, my dear, so in a way, you _did_ deserve it."

Huffing, Kagome rubbed her forehead and sat up as well, holding Shippo to her, so she didn't knock him of her lap with her movements. Having caught his breath, Fang climbed up into Kagome's lap and curled up beside Shippo, deciding to take a short nap.

Finally taking a moment to survey the surroundings, she noticed that they were in yet another hallway that seemed to be never-ending. Though, to her relief, this one was lit up by strategically placed torches that lined both of the walls.

Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, she turned her head and saw Mattaki moving to stand. "Come." He said, holding a hand out to her. "Let's get it of here before something else happens."

Kagome reached up and placed one hand in his while the other continued to hold onto Shippo and Fang. Mattaki effortlessly pulled her up to stand beside him, releasing her once she was firmly on her feet.

Climbing up onto Kagome's shoulder once again, Fang curled up to drape himself around her neck so that his head was on one shoulder, and lightly wrapped his tail around her throat so as to not fall off of his perch. Shippo climbed up to sit on her other shoulder. After a minute, the young kit turned to Miroku. "C'mon, let's go, Miroku." He said, seeing as the other member of their group had yet to move from his position on the ground.

Groaning, Miroku reluctantly rose to his feet. He glared half-heartedly at Kagome when she giggled at his theatrics.

Nothing else was said as the small group started moving down the hallway, with Mattaki leading the way. They walked in a comfortable silence for what seemed like forever, before they finally saw an opening. Kagome let out a sigh of relief, before speeding up from a steady gait, into a brisk walk. The two men shared an amused glance at her antics, but easily matched her pace.

Less than five minutes later, they reached the end of the tunnel. Stepping out, Kagome took a deep breath, smiling happily as the fresh air that filled her lungs.

"Ahh, this is _sooo_ much better than being in those musty old tunnels." She said, looking around to see where they were. It looked as if they were in a small clearing of some sort.

Mattaki chuckled, "Indeed it is." He said, as Miroku, Shippo, and Fang all nodded in agreement. They continued walking through the clearing, passing from that clearing to another, larger one. There, they see a small pond, though when they get closer to it, they see that instead of water, the pond is full of a thick black, sludge-like substance.

Kagome wrinkled her nose in disgust, before turning around, prepared to keep walking. However, that thought disappeared the moment she spotted the seven man squad standing at the edge of the clearing, opposite of them.

"Looky here boys, we got ourselves some new playmates."

Special shout-out to our loyal reviewer:

lady sesshomaru sama 949: Thank you soo much for reviewing each chapter. We are so happy to have such a loyal reviewer. Not a lot of people take the time to review every chapter.


	6. Into the Fire

We no own, you no sue!

 **Last time**

" _Looky here boys, we got ourselves some new playmates."_

 **Now**

As soon as the man spoke, Miroku, Fang, and Mattaki once again got into the same formation they had back in the tunnels, though this time, Kagome told Shippo quickly run and hide in the brush on the other side of the sludge pond. She knew instinctively that she would be fighting this time, so she wanted Shippo to be a safe distance away, so it would be less likely for him to get hurt during the battle.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Miroku demanded.

The man who spoke up before, obviously the leader, stepped forward. "We are known as the Band of Seven, and you are our new entertainment. Until we kill you, that is." He said, smirking.

While he and Miroku continued throw comments back and forth, Kagome took the time to study their newest opponents.

The leader looked to be the youngest out of all of them. He had long black hair that was braided down his back, and he had the tattoo of a purple, four-pointed star on his forehead. He also had a large halberd leaned up against his shoulder.

Next to him was a man who, at first, Kagome had thought was a woman. His black hair was pinned in a bun, and he had small, dark colored eyes, with blue tattoos resembling snake fangs underneath them. He also wore some kind of red lipstick, making him appear more feminine, as well as a light purple kimono. She could see the handle is a sword sticking up over his right shoulder.

The third man in line was obviously bald, though he covered his head with a plain blue bandana. He also had strange purple tattoos on his face, and had a small gourd strapped to his hip.

The fourth man was a tall, middle-aged man with red hair and orange skin. Kagome likened him to a cyborg-look-alike. He literally looked to be half man, half machine.

Next was a tall green haired man who looked to be hyped up on steroids. He had teal blue markings under his eyes, and a sword attached to his left side.

Beside him stood the shortest man of the bunch. He too was bald, and he had on a white bandana. He had red circular markings around his eyes and near his chin.

Finally, the last man had a wild look in his eyes that caused Kagome to shudder. He had short black hair that went everywhere, and two green stripes going down the center of his forehead, as well as two on each cheek. He had on gloves that reminded Kagome of Wolverine, from X-Men. Each glove had four very sharp looking blades that stuck out like fingers.

Another thing that Kagome noticed, was that each man had a sword of some kind, and almost all of them had on samurai armor. She knew by the looks of them that they were borne killers.

Suddenly, she was snapped out of her observations when she heard the leader yell in anger and charge them, the others following behind closely.

Instantly, Kagome and her group all went into different fighting positions. Fang grew to his larger form and stood in front of Kagome in a protective manner.

Within seconds, the sounds of fighting rang out into the clearing. Mattaki took on the leader, the green haired man, and gourd-guy. Miroku took on the wild-eyed man and the cyborg. That left Fang and Kagome to take on the remaining two.

Seeing as Fang had taken on the shortest fighter, Kagome used her Reiki to form a sword and met the feminine looking male, head on. She also fused some of her Reiki into her body so that she was faster and stronger. It didn't take long before she was able to defeat her opponent, slicing him cleanly in half.

Looking around, she saw that Fang and Mattaki were holding their own in their respective fights. Mattaki was down to just fighting with the leader of the group, who seemed to be slowing down. The short man that Fang was fighting with, seemed to be severely injured and wouldn't last long.

Glancing over to Miroku, Kagome saw that he was having trouble with his fight. Upon closer inspection, she saw that his side had a large gash in it, which limited his mobility somewhat. Without another thought, she rushed over to help him.

She ran over and intercepted the cyborg as he swung his sword. Seeing Miroku glance at her in a thankful relief, she nodded her head. As she battled the Half-man Half-machine, she slowly moved away from Miroku's fight, to keep from getting in his way.

Unbeknownst to her, she was heading towards the sludge pond.

Just as she swung her sword towards the redhead's chest, he smirked. Kagome had no time to think before her sword collided with his body. Suddenly, she was thrown back by an explosion. The blast was so powerful, her body was pushed the remaining forty feet, into the sludge pond. The last thing she heard before everything went black, was two loud, ferocious roars.

Mattaki and Miroku had just finished their respective fights when an explosion rocked through the clearing. Jerking their heads towards the noise, they watched in horror as the female of their group was thrown into the disgusting pond. Fang and Mattaki roared in anger and fright as they saw her hit the black goo, all three running towards the pond as fast as they could.

Mattaki felt his heart sink as he reached the bank. He looked frantically, but couldn't see any sign of the female he had come to know so well in such a short amount of time. He sank to the ground and held his head in his hands, his whole body shaking in quiet despair. Shippo, who had come out of hiding at hearing the roars, cried out as he realized what happened. Miroku despondently grabbed Shippo and held the crying kit to his chest in comfort. Fang howled in agony at the thought of losing his master after such a short time of being with her.

Suddenly, Mattaki heard Shippo and Miroku gasp. Looking up, he too gasped at the sight before him. There, hovering three feet above the black sludge in a pinkish-blue bubble, was Kagome. The males all scrambled out of the way as her body floated over to the bank, before slowly sinking to lay gently upon the ground.

As soon as the barrier disappeared, everyone surrounded the body of their beloved Miko. Just as Mattaki was about to place his ear against her chest to check for a heartbeat, he reared back as Kagome's eyes popped open and she turned over to her side as she began coughing. All the males let out sighs of relief.

Once Kagome finished coughing up the remaining sludge from her lungs, she moved to lie back down. However, she was stopped by Mattaki, who moved her to recline against his chest, with his legs on either side of hers.

"You don't need to lay flat, just in case there's leftover goop in your lungs." He said,answering her questioning look.

Too tired to argue, Kagome nodded. "Lets all get some sleep." She said.

"But Kagome, we can't. We still have a time limit." Shippo said as he crawled into her lap.

Suddenly, a bluish barrier surrounded the small group. "There." She said, snuggling sleepily into Mattaki's chest.

"What is it?" Miroku asked, confused.

"A time barrier. Mama taught me how to do it when I was a little girl. As long as we stay in here, we can sleep as long as we want, and outside, only a few minutes pass at most. I used to use it to get in extra training before school." She explained.

Although they were a little confused as to what 'school' was, they got the gist of it and decided not to question the obviously tired Miko anymore. Miroku and Fang scooted over to lay beside Mattaki and fell asleep. Mattaki had decided to sleep sitting up, so he could continue to hold Kagome and Shippo, rather than moving them to recline against Fang, who still happened to be in his battle form. Soon enough, he leaned his cheek against the crown of her head and drifted to sleep as well.

Minutes later, another barrier surrounded the sleeping Kagome, while everyone slept peacefully in the clearing, unaware of the surprise they would all get upon awakening.

Shout outs to everyone who has Favorited or Followed this story!

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 **Moon-Goddess-Lee** : Glad you got a laugh out of it, we have much more to come, promise.

 **lady sesshomaru sama 949** : Don't worry, the others will be in it too, but we don't want to spoil anything by giving way as to when.


	7. Pack

Pack

 **Last:**

 _Minutes later, another barrier surrounded the sleeping Kagome, while everyone slept peacefully in the clearing, unaware of the surprise they would all get upon awakening._

 **Now:**

As Kagome regained consciousness, she felt warm, comfortable, and protected. She didn't want to move from her spot, but she knew she had to. She had a quest to finish, a brother to save, and an evil bitch to kill. As she reluctantly opened her eyes, she smiled softly at the sight before her. Sometime while they were sleeping, Mattaki had moved them so that she was now surrounded by their group. Miroku was on one side, with his back towards her. Mattaki was on her other side, lying so that he was facing her back. She realized then, that she was using his arm as a pillow. Fang had at some point, turned back into his smaller form, and he and Shippo were snuggled up against her chest.

She slowly, so as not to wake the others, sat up. She stretched, smiling in satisfaction as her back popped. Feeling something move behind her, she turned, expecting to see that Mattaki had awakened.

However, what she didn't expect to see, was a black lump of fur lying behind her. Her brows furrowed in confusion. Following the furry mass, she saw that it was attached to her shoulder. She stared at it blankly. Her mind was trying to comprehend what was happening. She had just about decided that she was too tired to question it at the moment.

Then, it purred.

…

…

…

"AAAAHHHHHHH"

Mattaki, Miroku, Shippo, and Fang would never forget this day as long as they lived.

They had been awakened by a loud scream. Jolting up, they saw that it was Kagome who had made the noise. They all deadpanned when they realized that she was freaking out just because a piece of fur that had purred at her…..Wait, what?

"Since when does fur PURR?!" She practically shrieked at them.

"That's so weird. I didn't know lumps of fur could do that!" Shippo exclaimed excitedly, as he rushed forward to pet it.

Suddenly, Mattaki started chuckling, which soon turned into full out laughter. Tick marks formed on Kagome's head, while Miroku, Shippo and Fang just sweatdropped.

"I think he's broken." Shippo whispered. Everyone else just nodded in agreement.

Soon enough, Mattaki calmed down enough to speak. "I apologise. It's just that, well, the purring black fur you see is called a Moko Moko. Only Daiyokai have them. It is created from our Youki, and contains our power, which is what allows us to transform into our beast forms. I have one as well, but the Witch stole it from me. That is how she took my powers. However, since it is made from _me_ , only I can access that power. It now looks like Kagome has one too, though it should be impossible. Miko can't control their Reiki in such a way. The only reasonable explanation, is that Kagome has somehow been turned into a demon. A Daiyokai, to be exact. The reason I laughed so much, was honestly more from hysteria than anything else. I mean, the irony of a Miko being turned into a demon is quite funny when you think about it."

Kagome just sat there staring at him blankly for a moment. Taking the initiative, Miroku grabbed Shippo from her lap, covering his ears as he did. It was a good thing too, because suddenly, Kagome was ranting and screaming profanities so loudly that even Mattaki was cringing. She used words that would have made the men blush, had they not been so surprised at the time.

Just then, a very stupid toad demon decided to enter the clearing, and spotted them. He ignored the ranting female, deciding that she looked far too delicious to pass up, and attacked them… That's when they learned that instead of disappearing when she was somehow turned into a demon, Kagome's Miko powers had actually _increased_ …. Needless to say, froggy bit the dust… Literally.

As soon as the still irate female turned to look at the now terrified men, they all bolted to hide behind the closest thing they could find.

Kagome stopped her tirade and began laughing, when she saw that two grown male demons and a Raiju had taken to hiding behind a defenseless Kitsune kit.

As she laughed, she started crying, which became worse, until she was more sobbing than crying. Immediately, her pack were surrounding her, muttering reassurances. She took comfort in their closeness, and they showed her such care that she was soon calm enough to speak once again.

"H-how did this happen? _Why_ did this happen?" She whispered sadly.

She wasn't just talking about her latest transformation. She was talking about the whole situation she had suddenly found herself in. She just didn't understand why Kikyo had picked _her_ of all people, why _her_ brother was taken from her, seemingly without reason. Why _she_ was suddenly on a witch's shit list, when she had never met the bitch before. She couldn't understand any of it.

Mattaki seemed to instinctively know what she was really asking, but with no answers coming forth in his mind, he decided to stay silent, and to just try and reassure her the best way her knew how. He began purring. Just like an alpha would do to calm a scared or upset pup. After a few minutes, the other males of her pack began doing the same.

A few minutes later, Kagome had been calmed enough that she once again fell asleep. Mattaki was suddenly thankful that she had somehow managed to keep her time barrier up throughout the whole ordeal. He loathed to awaken her anytime soon, after that last episode.

Mattaki suddenly felt very guilty for making light of the situation by laughing as he had done. He knew that it was a very big change for Kagome to have to deal with. He also knew that the reason it upset her so, wasn't because of the fact that she was a Miko being turned into a demon, something most Miko would hate more than anything, considering the two are natural enemies. In fact, once she got used to her new body and skills, Mattaki knew that Kagome would enjoy being a demon. Especially since she got to keep her Miko powers as well.

It simply boiled down to the fact that Kagome had just _had enough_. It was quite understandable, since her life had been turned on its head so suddenly that she hadn't had much time to breathe, let alone process everything that's happened so far. In actuality, Mattaki is surprised that it had taken even _this_ long for her breakdown to happen. Even he didn't think he could have held out as long as she had, if he'd been in her shoes.

"Is she gonna be okay, Mattaki?" Shippo asked, his eyes watering as he gently ran his claws through Kagome's hair.

Mattaki's heart clenched at the look in the Kit's eyes. They were full of anguish and sadness. He briefly looked up and smiled in thanks when he saw Miroku and Fang move further away, in order to give their alpha and the kit the short moment of alone time that both could sense was sorely needed, for the kit's own wellbeing. Mattaki was happy they had done so, and would be sure to reward them for their thoughtfulness later, but right now he turned his attention back on the kit.

"Yes, Kit, she will be fine. She just needs to rest, is all." He answered, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Why did she react like that? Does she not want to be like m-us, like us? Will she hate me now that she's a demon?" Shippo asked again. Mattaki ignored the slip up. He knew that even though it had been a very short time since the two had met, Shippo and Kagome had already become attached to each other. In fact, he wouldn't even be surprised if the Kit had already started seeing her as a mother figure. It would only be natural after all.

Shippo hadn't known the love of a mother, and right after becoming orphaned and treated cruelly, a woman enters his life, who not only shows him kindness and affection, but one who is also supportive, comforting, and is willing to allow him to help avenge his father. Mattaki could see how Shippo would latch onto such a rare find.

Most female demons in general would never agree to raise another's pup. Many would just kill the offspring, and be done with it. It was just instinct. But Kagome had been treating Shippo as if he had been her own. Even though she had been a human Miko, Mattaki had seen her do small things that were seen as signs of affection and love used by mothering Yokai. Nuzzles to the head, sleeping together, running her fingers through his hair as a way of comforting him, keeping him close to her at all times.

Kagome had done all these things and more. Mattaki just _knew_ that if she continued to do these things after her transformation,(and he strongly believed she would) there would never be any separating the two, as they would soon become mother and son.

And he would help them, too. He knew of a ritual to make them so, as completely as if she had birthed him herself. The only thing is, he wouldn't say anything about the ritual unless he knew for sure that both of them wanted it completely. Otherwise, they could risk accidentally killing each other. Their powers would rebel against the ritual and kill either the owner of the power, or the one that the power was directed towards, rather than accepting it, like they would if both wanted the ritual wholeheartedly. Both of which were things he was sure none of them would want.

Shaking his head free of those thoughts, Mattaki looked back down at the now sniffling kit. He could see both Miroku and Fang trying to reassure him, though they were having no luck in doing so.

"No, Little Kit, it's not that at all. You see, Kagome has just had a lot thrown at her in a few short hours. She hasn't had time to sit and think on these changes, nor has she had any time to cope with them. It just so happened that when she saw the changes that have just now occured, she became overwhelmed. It's not that she doesn't want to be a Yokai. I'm sure that when she comes to, and has had time to process it, she will come to enjoy being one of us in such a way.

And as for your last question, have no fear. She may be a Yokai now, but she is still Kagome. She would never hate you for something so trivial as your being born from another. She will still care for you as she did before. Maybe even more-so, since she will now have certain instincts on how to treat you, that she didn't have before. Can you smell what type of Yokai she has been turned into?" Mattaki asked.

After concentrating for a moment, Shippo's face lit up as he exclaimed. "She's a kitsune!"

Mattaki smiled. "Yes, and because she is such, she will have more of an urge to care for you in ways that until now, have simply not occurred to her. Such as grooming, cleaning, and many others. She will not have the urge to be rid of you, as I'm sure you are fearing. I think that perhaps, quite the opposite will occur, and she will be loathe to have you away from her side for very long at all, for many moons to come." He said happily.

Just then, Kagome groaned from her place in Mattaki's lap. Shippo looked down worriedly as he moved to sit beside her, rather than on her stomach like he had been.

Mattaki became amused when he saw how the kit was practically bouncing in place, due to his excitement. The king knew that soon, the two kitsune would be inseparable.

However, he frowned to himself, he was a little worried as to what would happen after the evil bitch Kikyo was destroyed. Would Kagome stay with them in this Realm, or would she wish to return home with her brother. Only time would tell, but even he was willing to admit that the young woman was increasingly growing on him.

Shaking himself free of troubling thoughts, Mattaki was once again amused to see that Kagome was now awake, and was animatedly talking to Shippo, as he was telling her all about how he would 'train' her on everything she would need to know about being a kitsune. Kagome smiled softly at him, her eyes full of adoration, as she reached up and began gently running her claws through his hair.

It was almost comical at the speed in which Shippo grew still. Slowly, he began relaxing against her, letting out a soft, growl-like purr. Mattaki's eyes widened minutely when he immediately heard a lower, more soothing, growl coming from Kagome.

" _She will make a wonderful mother someday."_ He thought.

Kagome, for her part, was happy that Shippo had responded to her ministrations so well. She adored Shippo, but his overexcited gibberish had begun to hurt her newly sensitive ears, which is why she started grooming him. Something just told her that he would calm down quickly with her actions, and she was thankful that it'd been true.

She smiled up at Mattaki, when she knew for sure that Shippo had fallen asleep. "How long was I out? And where are the others?" She asked softly, so as not to disturb the kit.

"You have not been asleep for long. Half a candlemark at the most,although with your time barrier still going strong, it has likely been only mere seconds. As for your second question, Miroku and Fang walked away to give the kit and I some privacy. Poor boy was scared that you would abandon him, now that you are a demon. However, I reassured him that you would not." He informed her.

"Why would I abandon him, just because I became a demon?" She asked, a troubled look settling on her face.

Mattaki explained to her how most female demons treated young that weren't their own. To say that Kagome was appalled by such things, would have been a drastic understatement.

"I would _never_ do that to a child! To abandon or worse, _kill_ an innocent, defenseless being, just because it wasn't biologically mine goes against _everything_ I believe in. No offense meant, of course. I know that it is merely the way of yo- _our_ kind, but still. Even though I am now a demon, I will still hold true to most of the morals instilled in me by my mother." Kagome stated firmly, pulling the sleeping kit even closer to her chest.

Mattaki smiled, in order to show her his pleasure in her statement. Then, letting his instincts take hold for a moment, he nuzzled her temple in affection. He was even more pleased to see her blushing brightly, as he pulled away.

Chuckling at her, he slowly stood, bringing her with him. He released her once she was steady on her feet. The two then turned toward their remaining pack, as the males returned to their sides.

"How are you feeling Kagome?" Miroku asked, as Fang yipped in agreement to the question.

"Much better, thank you. We should continue on our way soon. Even though my barrier is still in place, we shouldn't dally any longer than necessary. I say we eat some breakfast, and then continue towards the castle in the middle of the Labyrinth." Kagome stated.

After seeing the rest of her pack nodding in agreement, she moved further towards the edge of the clearing, planning on setting Shippo down somewhere safe, so that she can gather firewood, in order to make a cooking fire.

"We will hunt for meat, so we can all break our fast. We will return soon, Kagome." Mattaki stated, watching her place the kit gently upon a soft patch in the grass. Fang immediately moved to curl up around Shippo, keeping him warm.

"Alright, thank you. Please be careful. You never know what Kikyo could be planning next." Kagome said. Mattaki and Miroku nodded grimly, before turning and disappearing into the surrounding forrest.

Kagome sighed, turning back to her self appointed task. She had just finished building a fire, when she suddenly heard a voice from behind her.

"Well now, how did you like my newest gift?" Turning around, Kagome gasped. Right before her stood the Queen Bitch herself, Kikyo.

 _ **TBC...**_

Shout-outs to our reviewers:

E-man-dy-S: Glad you think it's interesting and are looking forward to more. There will be plenty more.

lady sesshomaru sama 949: Still happy that you love it.


	8. The Newest Ally

The Newest Ally

 **Last:**

" _Well now, how did you like my newest gift?" Turning around, Kagome gasped. Right before her stood the Queen Bitch herself, Kikyo._

 **Now:**

Kagome swiftly moved so she was standing upright, facing the Dark Miko.

"What do _you_ want?" She snarled, moving so that she was between Kikyo and the still sleeping Shippo. There was easily ten feet of distance between the two youkai and the unwanted arrival.

Kikyo merely smiled evilly, ignoring the movements made by the other woman.

"Just wanted to see how you were handling your recent….change…" She replied, nonchalantly.

"Yeah, well, you came. You saw. Now leave." Kagome growled menacingly.

"Now now, is that any way to speak to the one who gave you such a gift. Too bad you had to lose your Miko powers in the mix, though, huh. So sorry about that, but you see, when I give something, I must take something else away, in return." Kikyo taunted.

Kagome was confused for a moment. She opened her mouth to respond, until realization hit her head on. Kikyo didn't know she still had her Miko abilities. This could work very well in their favor, later on.

Playing along, in order to keep appearances up, Kagome made her face go pale, raising her hand up like she would if she was summoning her powers. She stared blankly at it a moment before dropped her hand in seeming defeat and snarled. "You _bitch_! How dare you?!"

Kikyo laughed haughtily. "Oh come now, Kagome. You really didn't think I'd let you keep your powers, knowing that you were the only one that could possibly _touch_ me, did you? Ignorant girl. As if you could injure me before. Now, it's just plain impossible. I'll fry your sorry hide before you even get the chance." She threatened.

Just as Kagome was about to respond, she heard a loud growl reverberate around the clearing.

Kikyo cackled "And that, my dearest _youkai_ is my cue to leave. Tata." She said in a sickeningly sweet voice, before vanishing with an audible ' _pop'._

Kagome turned around to see Mattaki and Miroku standing only a few feet behind her. Mattaki had Fang sitting on his shoulder. Immediately, Kagome knew that Fang must have snuck away during the exchange, and retrieved the two men.

"Are you alright, Kagome? She didn't harm you did she?" Mattaki asked, walking towards her so he could assess her state of wellbeing.

"I'm fine. She just wanted to gloat. Apparently, the goop incident was planned. All of it." She said, meaningfully.

Mattaki nodded, taking a step back. "What did she mean? Have you truly lost your powers?" Miroku asked, moving so that he was once again beside Mattaki.

Kagome nodded, seemingly tearing up, before throwing herself at them with a loud sob. Once she knew it looked like they were consoling her, she whispered so softly, they had to strain to hear her.

"No. She thinks she took them, but somehow I still have them. I'm just playing along so she wouldn't notice. We can use this to our advantage when we fight her. The element of surprise is always a good thing to have." Both men nodded almost imperceptibly, placing their arms around her, adding to the ruse.

Kagome continued for a moment, before slowly pulling away from them. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes, and gave them a watery smile, before moving towards the, somehow still asleep, Shippo. As she sat down, she pulled him into her lap, running her claws through his hair. Miroku and Mattaki silently walked towards the edge of the camp, and returned a short time later, holding two skinned and gutted rabbits each. Then they placed their kill on sticks, sitting them close to the fire to cook.

Later, after everyone had eaten their fill, the group of five packed up their camp, and continued on their way. As they walked, the men began teaching Kagome things she needed to know, now that she was a demon. They all took turns showing or telling her different things.

Mattaki spoke to her about certain demon instincts, their behaviors, and anything else he felt that she needed to learn quickly. Miroku, being the pervert that he was, decided to explain to her about mating, and different things to expect. Although, he did keep it clean, if only because Kagome had punched him in the head after an unsavory comment about a youkai female's sexdrive during certain seasons; A painful reminder that there was a young, impressionable mind, listening to every word being spoken.

Shippo had enthusiastically showed her all the 'cool' tricks he knew, promising to show her how to perform them herself. Even Fang helped out by explaining other things to her, like how, now that she was a youkai, she would be able to understand the more animalistic youkai like him who didn't have a humanoid form, _without_ a mind link. He had explained that it was _ingrained_ into the DNA of all youkai, and that even though she had just recently transformed into one, she would still have that ability.

Mattaki showed her how to adjust her enhanced senses so she won't be overwhelmed by strong smells or loud noise. She had very little issues figuring that out. Then he showed her how to control her new strength and speed.

As they came upon a courtyard, the five of them stopped short at hearing a yelp of pain. Running towards the sound, they saw a man with silver hair and dog ears tied upside down in a tree. From where they were standing, Kagome could tell that he was wearing red Haori and Hakama. He was yelling expletives as a green imp looking creature, wearing a brown robe hit him with a staff. What was weird about the staff however, was that it had two heads. One looked like an old woman, and the other, an old man.

Seeing this, Mattaki growled, stalking forward silently. He stopped right behind the green imp.

"Jaken. What is the meaning of this?" He asked in a dangerous voice, causing the imp- now known as Jaken- to turn around and squeak, before cowering in fright.

"What does it look like? The damn toad is tenderizing me! He sold out to that Miko bitch, and she told him to 'punish' me, because I wouldn't be at her beck and call! Now quit gawking, and get me the hell down!" The still upside down man said.

Everyone but Mattaki, the man, and the imp, raised an eyebrow in shock at the man's language. Luckily, Kagome had the foresight to clamp her hands around Shippo's ears as soon as the man had opened his mouth.

Mattaki just shrugged it off, as though he was used to such language.

"Mi-Milord?! I-it's not what it looks like! Don't listen to him, he's lying! Please, don't kill me!" Jaken said, bowing so low his head touched the ground.

Mattaki just looked at him in disgust, before suddenly rearing his leg back and punting the groveling imp. In the blink of an eye, Jaken was nothing but a speck in the sky. Miroku whistled in appreciation.

The former king then walked over to stand beside the man, and quickly reached up, swiping at the rope. The man landed with a thud. He laid there cursing for a minute, before untangling the rope from his ankles, and standing up.

"What the fuck, Mattaki?!" He yelled. Mattaki smirked.

"You told me to get you down. I got you down. You should be happy, Inuyasha, I could have left you up there."

The rest of the group just looked on in confusion as Mattaki and the man-Inuyasha- got into an argument. Finally, Kagome cleared her throat, catching the attention of the two silver haired men.

"Can someone please explain what is going on?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms. Shippo, who was sitting on her shoulder copied her movements.

"Who's the wench?" Inuyasha asked Mattaki.

Kagome growled. "This WENCH has a name. It's Kagome, so USE IT!" She snarled.

"Alright, damn. No reason to get your panties in a wad." Inuyasha said, his ears pinning themselves against his skull. Mattaki bopped him on the head.

"Do not speak to her like that. As the only female in my pack, she is Alpha female, and therefore above you. You would do well to show her some respect." He said, a silent threat shining in his eyes. Inuyasha just scoffed, but he stayed silent.

"Now, I think introductions are in order. Inuyasha, these are the newest members of the pack, Miroku, Shippo, Kagome, and Fang." Each nodded in greeting as he spoke their names. "Everyone, this is Inuyasha, my cousin. He is also one of my Betas." Inuyasha returned their greetings in kind.

"Just how big _is_ your pack, Mattaki? And why haven't you mentioned having one before now?" Kagome asked, kind of hurt by the fact that he hadn't said a word about having a pack until now.

Mattaki saw the hurt in her eyes, and instantly felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

"It just never came up. I'm sorry, Kagome. To answer your question, There's Inuyasha, A demon dog named Sesshomaru, who once saved my life, My best friend Naraku, who is a spider hanyou, and now you four." He explained.

Kagome nodded. Smiling, she spoke." It's alright Mattaki, after all, we just met today, so I'm sure there's a lot that we all don't know about each other."

Mattaki returned her smile, nodding in agreement, before turning back to Inuyasha.

"Well, now that introductions have been made, we should be on our way. Inuyasha will you be accompanying us? We are going back to the castle so we can defeat Kikyo."

"Hell yeah! If you're gonna kill that bitch, I'd like to get in a few hits too. She is making a mess of Youkai City. She's got everyone being treated like slaves, and those who go against her are killed on the spot. She's even turned the imps into her minions." Inuyasha said.

Mattaki growled in anger, his eyes flashing red as his beast threatened to surface.

Kagome instinctively handed Shippo to Miroku and moved to stand in front of him. Facing him, she cocked her head to the side, showing her neck. Mattaki grabbed her around the waist, pulling her closer to him, before putting his face in the crook of her neck. Breathing deeply, he allowed the intoxicating aroma of her natural scent- dogwood blossoms with a slight hint of vanilla wash over him.

After a few breaths, he was calm enough that his beast had stopped trying to break free, and the red had completely receded from his eyes. He nuzzled her in thanks, before pulling away from her. Kagome just smiled at him.

Looking back to Inuyasha and the others, who were watching in a wide-eyed fascination, Kagome blushed deeply. Turning away from them, she reached over and grabbed Shippo back from a perversely grinning Miroku, and started walking.

Mattaki quickly moved to catch up with her, unwilling to allow her to walk by herself and possibly end up in danger. Miroku, Fang and Inuyasha shared a look before jogging to catch up with the other three members of the group.

And thus, the newly enlarged group were once again making their way towards the Castle in the middle of the Labyrinth… Unbeknownst to them, no one could have prepared them for what happened next.

A/N: So sorry for the late update. Life got in the way. Please bare with us.

Shout-outs to our reviewers:

Veraozao: Glad to hear it.

lady sesshomaru sama 949: Did that answer your question?

E-man-dy-S: Glad it was interesting


	9. Not A Chapter!

A/N

Hey guys, Inugirl504 and I wanted to say that we are **_REALLY REALLY_ ** sorry, but we are going to have to put Kagome's Path on hold for a while. Due to computer issues, we won't be adding any new chapters until everything is in order.

PLEASE don't give up on us, or this story! **WE WILL RETURN!** It hopefully won't take too long to get everything up and running again, but until then we won't be able to post any more chapters until then.

Once again, we are very sorry, please forgive us, and be patient.

Until next time,

Mystical Shadow Priestess


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